The Girls In Construction™ initiative was conceived by AIB the as a step toward increasing the number of professional female builders (University graduates) in the construction industry. The GIC Camp for Girls is aimed at girls in years 9 to 12 in secondary schools with a five-day Camp being the first step. The inaugural Camp was the week of 21 November at Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus, with girls selected from Sacred Heart and Mathew Flinders Girls’ Schools.

Eighteen girls from those schools comprised the team, supervised by building professionals, trades people and teachers from Deakin University and The Gordon. The girls were involved in the design, developing a 3D model and then building a “Shed”. 

The finished building, of some 9 square metres was completed over the five days with the “Shed” donated to The Cottage By The Sea, a very worthwhile charity based at Queenscliff. 

The response and support from Deakin University, The Gordon, AIB’s Corporate Partners, select builders and the industry in general has been very pleasing and demonstrates the genuine interest that those organisations have in ensuring a more equitable workplace and one that sees more female professional builders enter the industry.

In order to provide some background to the AIB, please click on the link to view AIB’s promotional video.

https://vimeo.com/srhcommunications/review/710628347/267fca82ef

AIB assess and accredit 15 universities around Australia for their construction degree and higher education courses.

As such, the AIB, a Not For Profit industry group, is known as the arbiter of knowledge and learning in the construction industry, whose core members are commercial builders, being people and not companies.